Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness, Episode One

Since 1998, Jerry Holkins
and Mike Krahulik have used their webcomic Penny Arcade as a springboard for
commentary on the gaming lifestyle and industry. Comic avatars Tycho Brahe and
Johnathan 'Gabe' Gabriel celebrate and satirize fandom; now they're jumping the
fence to become playable characters. In concert with Hothead Games, Holkins and
Krahulik pack their first game with vulgar humor and irreverence, but players
outside PA's
fan base might question whether hip-thrusting, urinating robots are funny enough
to be worth frequent backtracking through four gameplay areas.

When a giant robot crushes the home of a normal
citizen, the irritated victim aligns with Gabe and Tycho against hobos, mimes,
and dark magic. The story is replete with quips, webcomic references, and
non-sequitur gags, many of which seek to obscure the fact that Penny Arcade
Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness, Episode One is a series of simple fetch
quests strung together by slight exploration.

In action-oriented
role-playing games, addictive combat can overcome plot and script shortcomings.
Episode One's
battle system is inventive, but shallow, as you flick between three party
characters and a trio of special attacks while choosing tactics and targets.
It's really just a waiting game: All actions "recharge" after a few seconds
(for basic attacks) or half a minute (for special moves), so combat is a matter
of blocking incoming attacks while preferred techniques recharge. The interface
is more daunting than most combat encounters.

Beyond the game: The PC game's
point-and-click controls aren't as well-suited to the action as the
analog-stick movement and more detailed action icons on the Xbox Live version.
(A further Xbox benefit: one achievement has the dubious honor of prodding
players to destroy an enemy with a quietly grooming cat.)

Worth playing for: Slick production values,
including moody music, animations that admirably replicate the webcomic, and 2D
cutscenes that suggest the influence of artists like John Kricfalusi and Mike
Mignola.

Frustration sets in when: An inverted difficulty
curve makes the first hour more challenging than the last. In spite of an
inflated hit-point total, the final boss is a dullard that requires only
patience.

Final judgment: A streamlined but only
fitfully entertaining role-playing game that requires deeper gameplay and story
to justify doubling the standard XBLA price.